Japan & South West Scotland

Clothes and Accessories

Clothes and Accessories

In Japan, both men and women wore kimono until the late
nineteenth century. By the turn of the century kimono were
being worn alongside Western clothes, but nowadays they are usually
reserved for special occasions. Traditionallygeta, a type of
wooden sandal or clog, were worn with kimono. A wide variety
of dying and embroidery techniques were used on kimono to achieve a
dazzling array of colours and patterns, including geometric shapes,
animals, landscapes and natural themes.

Mon

Mon (crests) were sometimes added to kimono, especially
formal ones. Family mon were used on clothes or
flags for identification, like a coat of arms or a family tartan in
Scotland. Most are circular and have an abstracted design in
the centre, often based on plants or animals. Actors, shops
and organisations designed their own mon.

Inrō

Kimono do not have pockets so men hung their belongings,
including inrō, tobacco pouches, and money pouches from
their belts. However, women wore a wide obi (belt), which
was unsuitable for hanging objects from. Instead, they
sometimes tucked small items such as fans into their collar or
sleeves.

Inrō are lacquered oval shaped boxes made up of several
compartments used for carrying seals or medicine. A variety
of lacquer techniques including low, high, sprinkled, and carved
lacquer are used to decorate the surface. There were laws
against ostentatious display, but inrō were small enough
to escape notice and therefore a lot of money and attention was
lavished on them as a way for townsmen to display their wealth and
taste.

Netsuke

A small bead called a nojime was used to tighten the
cords and keep the compartments of an inrō from opening.
Netsuke (toggles) were attached to inrō by
silk cords to prevent them from sliding out of the belt.
Originally netsuke were plain and functional but
they became more elaborate and intricate to display the skill of
the carver.